


Paws Off

by Zaxal



Category: Psych
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Crack, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, mention of MPREG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 05:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1417696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaxal/pseuds/Zaxal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Carlton's deepest secret is revealed, the only way to keep his job is to become bonded to an alpha. Shawn offers his services.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paws Off

**Author's Note:**

> For Shassie Week 2014; Day Four: Crack!

They were in the middle of a raid on a suspect's hideout when all of his hard work shattered into a million tiny pieces. He kicked the front door down, started a careful sweep of the abandoned house to search for the suspect. He was searching an isolated room on the far side of the house from Juliet when the door creaked shut behind him.

"On your knees," a voice growled with the unspoken authority of an alpha addressing a lowly, unclaimed omega.

His legs gave out beneath him, and he landed with a dull thunk. Heard the alpha's steps get closer, the cock of a gun. Heard the door creak open and a mixed clamor, three distinct voices but one louder – wasn't he always – than the rest yelling, "Lassie!"

Heard bodies hit the floor, heard them grunt as they tried to wrestle the other into place. Looked to see Shawn entangled with his assailant before the guy flipped them, pinned him down. "Sometime today, guys!" Shawn shouted, landing a not-completely-feeble punch to the guy's face. The alpha retaliated by trying to whip his gun across Shawn's face.

Carlton scrambled across the ground and grabbed the guy's arm and wrenched it back, tightening a cuff brutally tight before he grabbed the other arm and did the same. Confiscated his gun and stood quickly. Took a step back, trying to breathe.

He almost died.

Worse, they all knew.

If they hadn't figured it out by the position he'd been in and how easily he'd been subdued without even going for his gun, the way the alpha was yelling at him certainly eliminated any of the mystery remaining. "Omega _bitch_. A few more minutes and you'd have been leaking for me you fucking-"

Shawn, without obligation to act within the confines of the law, kicked him in the stomach. Carlton could barely manage gratitude as the guy gasped for air, doubled over, silenced. Nodded and turned to leave, figuring it best to let Juliet handle the reading of his rights and the leading him to the car.

She caught his arm and frowned, "Carlton, is he-?" He nodded, favoring silence instead of voicing his deepest, darkest secret. Sympathy and concern was written instantly across her face. "You know I- I have to report it."

"I know," he said, straightening his jacket as he lifted his head, trying to maintain his composure. "I wouldn't expect less of you, O'Hara."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged smoothly and walked outside, desperate for fresh air.

Shawn wasn't far enough behind him. "Hey, you all right?"

Carlton turned on his heel, turning a baleful glare on the two of them. Gus hesitated, but Shawn didn't even flinch. "You find out I'm an omega, and suddenly you're interested in how I'm doing," he accused with a sneer.

"Uh, I saw you one small trigger pull away from death, so I thought I'd check in." Raised his eyebrows, expectant. "So, about that one little detail...?"

"Standard protocol is desk duty," Gus filled in when Carlton refused to speak. "Unless-"

"Thank you, Guster," he said coldly to keep him from going.

Shawn winced, but he had the decency to fall back to engage in a private conversation with his friend instead of making Carlton suffer longer. It was a paltry victory.

\-----

He didn't have long to wait. "Carlton," Karen called from her doorway. "My office. Now." Juliet shot him an apologetic look, but Carlton only sighed, resigned and ready to face the music. He closed the door behind him and stood, front and center, watching as she folded her hands on her desk. "How did you get through the tests?"

"I've been on suppressants since I hit puberty," Carlton said. "I didn't expect it to mask me as a beta to blood tests, but when it did..."

"You thought it best not to rock the boat."

Carlton shrugged, but his eyes fell, guiltily. "It wasn't an issue."

"Of course it's an issue, Carlton. If your suppressants failed, half of the station would've been effected. Then an incident like today – we're lucky it didn't happen sooner, and we're lucky you had backup to save you." Carlton flinched and slowly raised his eyes. "Those regulations are in place-"

"-to achieve maximum efficiency."

"To protect you," she corrected harshly.

He clenched his jaw. "I don't need protecting."

The Chief sighed and met his eyes, unflinching. "Kneel." He resisted. Took a halting step away, the click of a gun cocking still clear in his mind. His fingers itched for his gun. She repeated herself, "I said _kneel_."

With a heavy swallow, he dropped, feeling intense relief once his knees hit the floor for the second time in a day. Like being able to breathe after choking on smoke. "I'm only a beta."

"A beta in a position of power," he reminded her under his breath.

"The point still stands."

Carlton gritted his teeth. "Can I?"

She sighed, "Yes." He rose as quickly as he could, heart in his throat, betrayal and hurt clutching at his chest. "I'm not doing this to be cruel. You can't be an officer in the field without endangering yourself, your coworkers, and the citizens of Santa Barbara. I'm sorry."

Carlton took that as his dismissal and went for the door only to find that Shawn, Gus, and Juliet stood outside, discussing heatedly until Gus noticed that Carlton had seen them. Quickly, all three heads parted, and with a heavy heart, he stepped outside to face them.

Shawn came up to him quickly, said, "Mind if I put in a word for you?"

Numb and miserable and unable to see how his situation could possibly be worse, he growled, "Knock yourself out."

Shawn grinned brightly and grabbed his shoulders, turned him around, and gave him a little shove. Carlton dragged his feet, hanging back while Shawn marched shamelessly up to the Chief's desk. "Just curious, Chief. Could Lassie keep his job if we could keep him from being ordered around by people higher up on the biological totem pole?"

"That's a nice thought, Mr. Spencer, but it's not feasible."

"What if he had an alpha?"

Carlton's head shot up, heart catching in his throat. "No."

Shawn hung his head, sighed heavily, "If you were paired off with an alpha, you wouldn't have to compulsively obey other peoples' suggestions. You'd be safe."

"Safe," Carlton sneered, feeling his hands shake as they clenched into fists. "Safe like the slavery rings that sell 'safety' and transfer an omega from alpha to alpha against their will? Safe like the packs and gangs who ensnare as many as possible and- and claim us like we're territory? Not to mention forced pregnancies, a higher rate for abusive relationships, and-"

"Lassie," Shawn said, something in his voice calming him, silencing him, and he knew. His mouth clicked closed as Shawn turned, met his eyes. "Safe like an alpha you know, who's also on suppressants, I might add, and who doesn't want to see you lose your job."

Carlton's mind raced. Shawn Spencer couldn't be an alpha. He wasn't aggressive or domineering. He didn't demand the world cater to him. It just _did_. The world lived by his whims, and he twisted it to suit his needs, skating by on charm and an ability to bluff like Carlton had never seen. He had a certain something that gave him more control than one person should have.

His stomach twisted into ugly knots.

Gritted his teeth to hide his nausea and unease, "I am not going to sleep with you to keep my job."

Shawn blinked. "Sleep with me? No. I'm saying we do the whole song and dance and establish a mating bond."

Mating. Carlton's heart was thundering in his chest. He couldn't identify if it was more out of want or disgust.

Shawn continued, "Everyone knows you have someone, everyone knows better than to try and make you theirs. If and when you find someone else who steals your little heart, we shake hands, terminate the bond, and we go our separate ways. No big deal."

"And you?"

Shawn shrugged. "I'll adjust. Besides, like you said," his lips tilted into a smile that didn't really reach his eyes, "having more than one is usually the way it works for people like me anyway." Looked away from Carlton to the Chief. "Would that work?"

After a long moment of contemplation, she nodded, "I'd have to check with Internal Affairs, but I think it might."

Shawn beamed from ear to ear, turned his smile to Carlton. "Wanna be mates?"

Carlton's throat closed tight.

\-----

There was no ceremony. They made the pact on a rainy Saturday morning, when neither had much better to do, since physical proximity was ideal to make sure the bond would be strong enough to deter other alphas and power-hungry betas. "You've never done that before," Shawn observed when it was over, more keenly aware of Carlton's inner workings now than Carlton himself was comfortable with.

The street, unfortunately, went both ways. He deflected, "You're not psychic." Yet, Shawn had to know that he would find out, had to trust that Carlton wouldn't immediately turn around and tell the Chief. He could've ordered him not to, but he hadn't. There'd been no orders, no commands, no inclinations of it over their tentative bond. It helped ease his fears more than Shawn would ever understand.

"Victoria was a beta," Shawn wondered. "Did she know?"

"It's not exactly an easy thing to hide."

"Get shots instead of taking the pills, don't go near any alpha friends or gatherings at that point in your cycle – it'd be easy enough."

"Yes," Carlton said, "she knew." He sulked deeper on Shawn's couch.

He'd be spending the weekend in Shawn's apartment, in Shawn's territory. The territory and proximity to him would complete the transformation. He wouldn't just be an omega but Shawn's omega. It wasn't his favorite thought, but if it meant he could keep his badge, if it meant he could get back to bringing justice to the unlawful ruffians of his city, then it'd be worth all the catches and tricks he was going to have to get used to such as the deep, ingrained desire to make their skin touch, to offer himself to his alpha.

Shawn was still turning something over in his head, smoothing out the rough edges, polishing it neatly. "When you said she thought you didn't want kids...?" The wound was still fresh and raw, even after all the time he'd had to put between himself and that fight. Shawn grimaced sympathetically, "Ah, sorry."

He refused to shy away from even that sensitive subject, said bitterly, "She didn't want to knock me up, and I couldn't get her pregnant. Incompatible."

Shawn nodded, said, cautious, "I'm sorry, man. That sucks."

"Yeah, it does." Lifted his head, compelled to ask, "What about you? You ever done this before?"

"Nah," Shawn said with a smile. "I saw a lot of the same stuff you did, the things omegas go through because of us. Dad made sure I knew so I'd never let it go to my head. I decided when I was still pretty young that I was never going to be a part of that."

"So the suppressants?"

"No." Shawn's smile fell. "When I was sixteen, my hormones were so out of control, I almost sent Gus into heat. We were around each other all the time, and we've always been close. So touching and stuff. You know, the things they actually warned us about in health class that nobody took seriously?" Carlton nodded, fascinated in a sick way. "Don't tell him I told you this, but we were getting into it, just out of nowhere trying to eat each other's faces. And I could smell it on him. I went away for the rest of the summer, and I started taking the suppressants."

"Didn't want your best friend to be one of us," he said, unable to help the bitter tone to his voice.

"I didn't want to be responsible for changing him from a beta to an omega and causing his own body to go haywire," Shawn corrected, and Carlton could feel faint thrums of anger over the fledgling connection. "I didn't want him to be going to the doctor for hormone therapy for years because I couldn't keep my paws off."

"But you get to keep that handy story about being so irresistible you almost turned your best friend."

Shawn laughed, "Yeah, I guess. But like I said, don't mention it to him. He'll never admit that we even fooled around at all, and I wasn't supposed to either."

"But you did."

Shawn shrugged, eyeing him with a sly smile. "Strengthening our bond, Lass; that's all. Give and take."

Something traitorous inside him fluttered. He squashed it as quickly as he could.

\-----

After a long, awkward weekend and an evaluation, they put him in close proximity to an alpha officer. Dobson watched him, curious, and Carlton's skin crawled. "Didn't know you were an omega, Lassiter."

He gritted his teeth. This was the other downside to agreeing to this stupid plan. Where the suppressants had hidden him as a beta except to the most sensitive of alphas, being claimed was like a big, neon sign flashing 'omega' over his head for everyone to see. "That was the point," he said.

Dobson took a deep breath, and Carlton held his own as he waited, watched, hoping that they'd succeeded, that he could get back to work without having to worry about being harassed. Dobson's brow knit in confusion, "Spencer's an alpha?"

Carlton's shoulders relaxed. "That'll be all, Det. Dobson," one of the present panel said. The other detective nodded and left. Carlton stood alone at their mercy. The head of the panel coughed awkwardly, "While we're not sure this is the safest or the best option, until we have further proof, we see no reason you can't return immediately to your duties."

Carlton smiled, satisfied.

\-----

He resisted as long as he could, but there were only so many empty nights alone in his apartment that he could stand. He should have called, but he hadn't yet decided if he was actually going to go through with it until he put his car into park.

Loneliness seemed more acute, more damning than it had even two weeks ago. He'd gotten by on loneliness since the divorce, and now, he couldn't stand it. Simple human contact had never seemed so alluring, so necessary to survive, but his damnable biology made him crave.

Decided to call while he was sitting outside, the phone ringing a few times before Shawn finally picked up. "Hey, Lassie. What's up?"

"Are you at home?"

A hesitant pause, "Yeah. Why?"

Carlton's grip tightened on the phone as he tried to come up with any excuse to see himself inside, but his mind went traitorously blank when he heard a soft voice saying, "Shawn? Who's that?"

"One minute," he said to the woman in the room with him. Something ugly and possessive clawed at his chest, making demands that he knew he couldn't follow up on. Forgot for a moment that Shawn would know until he asked, "What's wrong?"

He wasn't here to play the part of the overemotional omega, the jealous, overbearing stereotype who didn't understand their role when it came to their relationships. "Nevermind, Spencer. You're clearly busy." Perhaps a bit spitefully, he added, "Have a good evening." Before hanging up and tossing his phone into the passenger seat.

\-----

He took no pleasure out of the fact that Shawn didn't have sex with her. He wished he had. He could've known what it was like, could have prepared for it the next time it inevitably happened. Shawn was always flirting, always looking for it, and with an alpha's sex drive, it was no wonder. It wouldn't be long before he finally gave in.

Thought about jerking off, but knowing that Shawn would know made him stop. Nothing was private or safe anymore, their bond sharing emotional information both ways regardless of what either of them wanted.

Shawn hadn't gotten off yet either. It only made the tension worse.

\-----

Being in the same room as him was torture. He needed to push him away. He needed to pull him closer, to feel his skin against his, to know his body and give him everything he had to give.

Shawn started staying away from the station except when they needed him on a case. That was worse.

\-----

"Hey there. Name's Shawn Spencer. How's it going?"

That was it. He could handle anything else – Shawn picking up strangers in a bar, Shawn calling on a backlog of old acquaintances, Shawn getting friendly with his own hand – but Shawn trying to pick up a suspect with a pretty face tipped him over the edge. Hardly realized what he was doing as he stormed over to him, hand lashing out to grab the nape of his neck, touching for the first time since they'd established the bond.

It sent pulses of pleasure racing to his brain, down his body, responding instantly which only further kindled the rage. He dragged Shawn to an empty observation room and closed the door, seething as he shoved him against it.

Couldn't act on the impulse that had driven him here. Gritted out, "Why is this happening? This-" Swallowed thickly. "This wasn't the plan." Needed someone to show him the way, and fuck his life, he was asking Shawn Spencer to be the alpha he was supposed to be. "You- you, somehow, you did this."

Shawn's voice was surprisingly even, low, and Carlton shivered as a wave of lust overwhelmed him at the sound of it. "Pacts of convenience only work when the people involved don't want more."

Carlton's hands gnarled against the door. Taunted angrily, "And do you want more, Spencer?"

Shawn's eyes darkened, his tongue peeking out to run along his lips and wet his mouth. Carlton surged forward, pressing his body to Shawn's as he attacked his mouth, biting into the harsh parody of a kiss, desperation driving him until Shawn's hand soothed up his jaw. Being wanted by his alpha – Carlton couldn't describe the pleasure it gave him, a shudder wracking up his spine.

Shawn broke away from his mouth, tucking his mouth under his jaw, not biting, not marking. His hands moved to pet down his shuddering body, voice soft. "It's all right, Lassie. It's okay."

"Spencer," he breathed, desperately.

"I'm here," he assured. "But we can't do this right now or you'll lose that credibility we just got done building up." Carlton nodded, surprised as the thoughtfulness which made Shawn laugh, sound dizzy with it. "You have some of your suppressants in your desk, right?"

"Yes," he said, wondering how Shawn knew.

"Take one of those," he said, voice still gentle, suggesting instead of commanding. "And I'll meet you at your place after work. We can hash all of this out, whatever it takes." Rubbed a hand between his shoulders, murmuring, "Gonna have to let go now." Carlton's hands shook as he pulled them off the door.

\-----

By the time he made it home, apprehension sat like a stone in his stomach. Shawn was waiting, patiently on the sidewalk in front of the building, idly tapping away at his phone though his leg bounced against the ground, betraying his nerves. Embarrassed by his lost composure earlier, he almost left, but Shawn looked up the moment he rounded the corner of the building, smiling tentatively.

"How're you feeling?"

"You know how," Carlton said, reaching out to tug on the tie binding them.

"I _know_. But I still want to ask." Shawn smiled, sunny and undeterred. "Clean up the streets, save the city, beat up some bad guys?"

Carlton felt the tension somewhat ease. "The city tends to frown on excessive violence."

"If you won't tell the city, neither will I," Shawn said, bending his head closer as if imparting a secret.

"Come on," Carlton said, leading the way indoors, up the stairs – despite Shawn's whining about perfectly good elevators – to his apartment.

He'd never in his life let an alpha into his territory, and he wasn't sure what to expect. Shawn traipsed in, took a quick look around, and made a beeline for his kitchen. "Got any snacks? I'm starving."

"How does Guster afford to feed you?" Carlton wondered aloud, not protesting as Shawn cracked open his fridge.

"Having two jobs apparently has its perks." He shrugged and closed the fridge, not bothering to grab anything to eat before he sidled back up to him.

To avoid the question for a moment or two longer, Carlton led him to the living room. Shawn plopped on one end of the couch. Carlton sat in his favorite chair, keeping an eye on and some decent distance between himself and Shawn.

"So," he breathed out.

"I didn't agree to help you to get in your pants," Shawn said quickly. "I didn't even know why it was all happening until I started Googling around to see if the problem was universal."

"The problem," Carlton prompted, cautious.

Shawn laughed, strained, "How hard it is for me to keep my hands off you? Not to mention everything else. I've been dying, Lassie. And apparently from all the blogs and books and stuff, it's usually that the people in the arrangement want more than they agreed on. We're not bound by the words and the ceremony of it all. It's about the emotions."

"So between the both of us, it was guaranteed to go haywire."

Shawn sighed in relief. "Yeah, basically." Considered, "But now, since that's out of the way – do you want to actually do this? At least to see if it could work?"

Carlton didn't take a second to think, said, " _Yes_." Could think of nothing he wanted more than Shawn's skin against his own, Shawn's mouth claiming his. As if he could hear his thoughts, Shawn scrambled to his feet and practically launched himself at Carlton, settling in his lap as his hands combed into his hair, led him close and kissed him hard. Carlton arched into him with a quiet moan, the shame drowned out by the wantwantneed.


End file.
